Spring-frame for velocipedes.



F. K ITLITSGHKO. SPRING FRAME FOR VELOGIPEDES,

APPLICATION FILED JAILZQ, 1912.

Patented June 4, 1912.

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OOLUMBIA PUNOGRAPM co..WA5l-|INOTON D c F. KITLITSOHKO. SPRING FRAMEFOB. YELOGIPEDES.

' APPLIOATION TILED JAN.29,1912. 1 028 470; Patented June 4', 1912.

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attorneys.

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TED STATES vrnriiazn'r OFFICE.

FRANK KITLITSCI-IKO, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 MANU-FACTURING COMPANY, OF JEFFERSON, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS-CONSIN.

SPRING-FRAME FOR VELOCIPEDES.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented June 4, 1912.

Application filed January 29, 1912. Serial No. 674,138.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK KITLrrsoHKo, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Frames for Velocipedes, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates more particularly to the construction of thewheel supports for motorcycles. Its main objects are to relieve theriders of such vehicles from the discomfort and to prevent injury to themotors and other parts mounted on the frames, incident to shocks andjars in running at high speed over rough or uneven roads, and for theattainment of these objects to provide means of such construction anddesign as will be strong and durable in service as well as attractive inappearance.

It consists in the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafterparticularly described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing like chars acters designate the same partsin the several figures.

Figure l is'aside elevation of a motorcycle supplied with yielding wheelsupports 1n accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sideelevation of one of the rear wheel supports; Fig. 3 is a similar view ofone of the front wheel supports; Fig. & is a plan view and horizontalsection on the line at 4:, Fig. 2, of one of the rear wheel supports;and Fig. 5 is a plan view and horizontal section on the line 5 5, Fig.3, of one of the front wheel supports.

Referring to the drawing, a designates the front wheel fork, to thelower free ends of which are pivoted at their elbows by bolts 0, angularor elbow-shaped levers 6, having forwardly and downwardly projectingparallel arms. The front wheel axle d is fastened at its ends in thefront ends of the forwardly projecting arms of said levers parallel withthe pivot bolts 0. Leaf springs e are rigidly fastened at their upperends by set screws f in clips or collars g, which are mounted on themembers of fork a at a distance above their lower ends, the arrangementon each side being a duplicate of that on the other. The springs e,which are located on the rear side of the fork,

curve or diverge normally from the fork members toward their lower ends,and are connected at their lower ends by links it with the downwardlyprojecting arms of the levers b. The lateral strain to which the springse are subjected is distributed between different points on the forkmembers, to prevent bending them and to render the clips or collars morefirm and stable, by stay rods or braces 2', which are fastened at theirends'parallel with the fork members in the clips or collars g and inclips or collars j secured on said members at some distance above theclips or collars g. The supports for the rear wheel are constructed andarranged ina like or similar manner.

To the rear ends ofthe rear wheel fork in and the lower ends of theadjoining braces Z, are pivoted at their front ends normally inapproximate alinement with the fork members, forked or longitudinallyslotted levers b in the rear forked or slotted ends of which areadjustably fastened the ends of the rear axle 03 parallel with the pivotbolts 0. Leaf springs e secured at their front ends by set screws f andclips or collars g to the fork members on the under side thereof, andcurving or diverging normally therefrom toward their rear ends, areconnected by links h with the levers b between the pivot bolts c' andthe axle d. The rear fork k being made stronger or stiffer than thefront fork a, stay rods or braces such as are shown in connection withthehfront wheel supports, may be dispensed wit V To-adjust the bearingsso that they will yield more or less freely for riders of differentweights, the downwardly projecting arms of the front levers b and therear levers b, are each formed with two or more holes for the connectiontherewith of the links it and 72, at different distances from the pivotbolts 0 and 0 or fulcrums of said levers.

In the operation of a motorcycle or bicycle equipped with wheel supportsas herein shown and described, the axles d and d will yield upward moreor less against the tension of the springs e and e as the wheels passover rough or uneven road, and thereby relieve the rider as well as theframe of the machine and parts mounted thereon, from the jolting andjarring and possible injury to which they would otherwise be subjected.

Various modifications in the minor details of construction andarrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the appendedclaims, without departing from the principle of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a wheel'fork, of levers pivoted to the ends-ofthe fork members and connected at a distance therefrom by a wheel. axle,leaf springs fastened to the fork members and normally divergingtherefrom toward their free ends, and links connecting the free ends ofthe springs with said levers so as to allow the axle to yield upwardlyagainst the tension of the springs.

2. The combination with a wheel fork, of levers pivoted to thefree endsof the fork members, a wheel axle carried by said levers at a distancefro-m and parallel with their pivot connections with the fork members,leaf springs rigidly secured to the fork members and normally divergingtherefrom toward the free ends of said members and of the springs, andlinks connecting the free ends of the springs with said levers, theconnections between said links and levers being adjustable toward andfrom the pivot connections between the levers and fork members.

3. The combination with a front wheel fork, of elbow-shaped leverspivoted at their elbows to the free ends of the fork members, and havingforwardly and downwardly extending arms, an axle connected with andcarried by the forwardly extending arms of said levers, leaf springssecured at their upper ends to the fork members on the rear sidesthereof and diverging normally therefrom toward their lower "ends, andlinks connecting the lower free ends of said sprlngs with the downwardlyextending arms of said levers.

4. The combination with a front wheel fork, of elbow-shaped leverspivoted at their elbows to the lower free ends of the fork members andhaving forwardly and downwardly projecting arms, an axle carried by saidforwardly projecting arms, leaf springs secured by clips at their upperends to the rear sides of the fork members, stay rods fastened at theirlower ends to said clips and at their upper ends to said fork membersfor distributing the strain on the springs between different parts ofthe fork members, and links connecting the lower ends of the springswith the downwardly projecting arms of said levers.

5. The combination with a rear wheel fork, of levers pivoted to the rearends of the fork members and extending rearwardly therefrom, an axlecarried by said levers, leaf springs secured at their front ends to thefork members on the under side thereof,

and diverging normally therefrom toward their free ends, and linksconnecting the rear ends of the springs with said levers between saidaxle and their pivot connections with the fork members.

In witness whereof I hereto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK KITLITSGHKO.

ROY PUERNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

